Chapters 5 and 6
Chapter 5 SUMMARY Jem and Dill grow closer which means that Scout feels more left out and so as a result Scout spends more time with Miss Maudie Atkinson (their neighbour). The children speak to Miss Maudie about the Radley’s and she tells Scout that Boo Radley is still alive and shows a fair perspective and how the town should not victimise Boo. Jem and Dill plan to give a note to Boo Radley to ask him to come out of the house. Scout was not too keen on the idea of going into the Radley place to deliver this note. The children attempt to put the note in the window of the Radley Place using a fishing pole but Atticus catches them and orders them to ‘stop tormenting that man.’(pg 55) QUOTES AND ANALYSIS • ‘His name’s Arthur and he’s alive,’ she said.’ pg 49 The pronoun ‘his’ instead of ‘it’ supports the idea of Boo Radley being a human not just a supernatural object. By giving him a name it shows the reader that he is a real person. In this section on the page Miss Maudie is teaching Scout not to believe gossip in the town. • ‘Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that’s all’ pg 50 Miss Maudie treats this as a fact and uses ‘that’s all’ to dismiss any other options. We then see that Miss Maudie has a fair perspective by saying ‘wouldn’t you stay in the house if you didn’t want to come out?’ which shows she is trying to see it from Boo Radley’s point of view • ‘I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy’ pg 51 Miss Maudie reveals that she grew up with Boo and knew he was a gentle person. By addressing him as ‘Arthur Radley’ it shows to the reader he is a human being and should be treated the same as everyone else as a sign of respect. She understood Boo Radley and taught Scout that he is not evil. • ‘Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.’ pg 52 This implies to the reader that the character of Atticus is very straightforward with no hidden agenda. CONTEXT Prejudice- After Scout asked when Miss Maudie reckons he’s crazy, he replies ‘if he’s not he should be by now.’ This demonstrates that it is not right for people to treat him as a victim and shows the southern values of the prejudice in the society against Boo. Chapter 6 SUMMARY Jem and Dill obey Atticus’ orders until Dill’s last day staying in Maycomb. Jem and Dill plan to peek through the shutters of the window at the Radley place. Scout goes with them and they all look through the windows of the house. Suddenly Scout sees a shadow of a man. They then flee from the Radley place and as they are escaping they hear a shotgun behind them. During their escape Jem’s pants get caught on the fence so he has to take them off in order to return home. When they return home they encounter many neighbours who are gossiping about the gunshot. Atticus questions Jem about why he has no pants and so Dill says that he won Jem’s pants in a game of strip poker. Later that evening Jem sneaks out to the Radley Place and retrieves his pants. QUOTES AND ANALYSIS i want a quote • ‘Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the loose shutter…and keep my fat flopping mouth shut, that was all.’ Pg 57 This section uses free indirect style by listing the things that Jem has said to her and echoes his words. It also indicated that she looks up to Jem and listens to what he tells her to do. • ‘With that, I had no option but to join them.’ Pg 58 This short sentence with a full stop shows the definite decision that Scout’s character must go • ‘Jem touched it. The gate squeaked.’ pg 58 The consecutive short sentences with full stops give a sudden build up of tension. • Harper Lee create a tense atmosphere as they approach the Radley Place through the use of language- Jem ‘beckoning in the moonlight’, the gate ‘squeaked’, the ‘ramshackle porch’, the old stove and mirror that ‘caught the moon and shone eeirly’ pg 58. The haunted house image is developed through the build up of a sinister mood and relate to the gothic genre. The children’s reactions to this house is seen through the panic and rapid movement words such as ‘leaped’, ‘galloped’, ‘flung’, ‘tripped’, and ‘dived.’ Pg 59 • ‘Theres a little teeny light way off somewhere’ pg 59 The idea of light symbolising hope which could suggest that the little light is a beacon of hope that Boo Radley is alive or might even come out • ‘Then I saw the shadow. It was the shadow of a man with a hat on’ pg 59 The use of the word ‘the’ to make ‘shadow’ less generalised and instead emphasises that it is an object of something. It then progresses to tell us what the shadow is and the shadow gains life to become a man. • ‘When it crossed Jem, Jem saw it.’ pg 59 A progression of ‘the shadow’ to ‘it’ as if they know it is definitely something. By using ‘it’ it gives ambiguity for the reader to figure out for themselves what it could be which therefore builds tension to find out what the shadow is. • ‘It was then I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company’ pg 62 Indicates that Jem and Scout are both beginning growing up but in different ways. Jem’s decision to go retrieve his pants shows that he understands the consequences of his actions and does not want to risk being punished by Atticus if he found out they lied (‘Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way.’ Pg 62) CONTEXT Racial prejudice- The gossip in the town about the gunshot is shown through the presumptions of the neighbours in the town that they thought the intruder into the Radley’s yard was a black person. This highlights how black people were automatically associated with crime or causing trouble.